Let There Be Light

Lights might be the best part of the holiday season: neighborhoods and business districts all lit up, more lights twinkling on trees and candles aglow in menorahs, kinaras and luminarias. And the enjoyment of those magical lights is a piece of childhood that never leaves us; as they turn off after the New Year, the world returns to its dreary winter drudge and we all have to act like grownups again.

That's why I make it a point to take at least one stroll each year through Blossoms of Light at the Denver Botanic Gardens, which switched on over the weekend for its abbreviated moment in the darkness. In this short-day season of SAD, it's the best cure I know for the holiday dumps. And they have HoloSpex.

The DBG's million lights are spectacular and fetching, enhancing the organic shapes of the winter trees, grasses and gardens in wholesomely unnatural ways. The chill in the air makes you walk a little faster and a shot of hot chocolate makes it pretty near perfect, whether or not you choose to smooch someone in the discreet kissing spots provided under mistletoed archways. All at once, it's beautiful, spooky and a holiday safe-haven for the little kid within every one of us, and the season just wouldn't be right without it. Turn off all reason and sense, and get out there while you can.

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Blossoms of Light is open nightly from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., including Christmas and New Year's Eve, through New Year's Day. For a slightly more rustic experience, there's also Trail of Lights out at the DBG at Chatfield, which is also open through January 1, but open Wednesdays through Sundays only. Prices at both venues range from $4.50 to $9.50; find more details at www.botanicgardens.org. Dec. 2-Jan. 1, 5:30-9:30 p.m., 2011

Susan Froyd is a Denver native who studied English, Art and finally Journalism at Metro State University, and also managed movie theaters and sold art supplies before landing at Westword in 1992. Decades later, she still feels privileged to serve the vibrant artists in all disciplines who make our town a more engaging place to live.